Ex-Hollyoaks actress Gemma Atkinson on father's death

1 February 2011 Last updated at 02:23 GMT

Actress Gemma Atkinson rose to fame aged just 14, when she appeared as Lisa Hunter in the Channel 4 soap Hollyoaks. Now in her 20s, she is pursuing a successful career on stage and screen away from the teen drama.

But for nearly a decade she has been a staunch supporter of the British Heart Foundation, raising money for the charity through appearances on programmes such as the Weakest Link and I'm a Celebrity Get Me Out of Here.

Her support is motivated by the death of her father, David, from a heart attack when she was 17.

Here she recounts for the BBC video series Cause Celeb the pain she still feels over the loss of her dad, and the hope she has that new research might help improve the health of the growing number of people who survive a heart attack.